My son in law, Eric will be here tomorrow to work on their house area. I will have the kids, so my farm work will wait, but as I get to embrace my grandkids for the day, We get to see more progress toward my daughter and her family living this dream right along side of us. Now that is a good day spent.
After being gone a whole week, i was so happy to be home. Its my happy place. A place of calm. Some may not understand this, but even as I sit on the patio drinking my coffee, Loving on my dogs and looking at all the work that needs to be done, I feel at peace. Yes sometimes its frustrating to see the work, and not be able to tackle it all straight away, but its also a pull for tomorrow. Get done today what today calls me to do, and then tomorrow will have its own list.
My son in law, Eric will be here tomorrow to work on their house area. I will have the kids, so my farm work will wait, but as I get to embrace my grandkids for the day, We get to see more progress toward my daughter and her family living this dream right along side of us. Now that is a good day spent.
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Trials will come. We are reminded this through scripture. No one looks forward to them. We don't necessarily invite trials, although sometimes our actions opens that door. But when trials do come, it is easier when family and friends step up to pitch in where they can. And for that, I am truly grateful. Farm life is daily. Its not like we can take a week end and leave it all unattended. And normally this would not be an issue, as I don't want to go any where lol. While there are chores that may wait, there are many which will not. Feeding and watering the animals is a non negotiable. They count on us, so when Elmer is scheduled for 10 days of radiation, 2 hours away, what do you do? The first few days we drove 2 hours for the 30 minute treatment and 2 hours home, in heavy fog, rain and darkness. None of those are fun to drive in. This drive has been difficult for him and stressful for me, so family and friends gather the means to rent us a small car to save fuel and let's admit, parking a 350 dually in a city size parking spot is a challenge. They also rallied up and rented us a motel for the remainder of Elmers treatments so we don't have to drive back and forth. But what about the farm? Yah, I asked that too. My daughter and her family will keep things in order here. And I have vowed not to worry about a thing. Sometimes we just have to leave the farm, but having family and friends who love us and want to help sure makes that easier.
Delivered as promised! We woke up this morning to snow on the ground, frozen water buckets, tanks and friged air!! But oh how beautiful! All the animals seemed to have faired well. I was most concerned about the outside dogs but Kenneth tried out their hut full of pine shaving and deemed it plenty warm LOL. Now to dust the pine shaving off him. Ha. We began the morning by filling up buckets of hot water to carry out to the animals. I filled the buckets and Kenneth carried..a fair deal in my book HA. The dogs bounced and played, making a mess of the pretty snow but they were happy and warm and that is what matters. Our Kune ladies, Penny and Annie came out of their hut squealing and seemed to enjoy a bit of snow as Kenneth delivered their warm water and breakfast. Geese squawked as He broke the ice in their trough and the goats barely peeked their head out of the barn to see what the noise was all about. One thing about Texas is she doesn't stay frozen for long. At least here in Central Texas. By noon the snow began to melt away and by 2:00 the sun was out, skies are blue and hope for Summer once again pops in my mind lol. I do admit that mild weather is my happy place. So until those milder temps call me out to play..I will stay in, stay warm and see if I cant conquer a few things today.
Texas has spoiled us with warmer then normal weather, but she has decided to kick up her heels a bit and throw some ice our way. Getting ready for super cold temps is all about the pine shavings!! Double thick for the goats, pigs and geese. Water filled to the rims making it harder to freeze solid..I hope! Its only going to be 3 days or so of super cold! HA, but we will feel every hour of it. I know we are luckier than most states who freeze over for months on end. Im not about that! All in all I think we have everyone tucked in for the night.
Today a neighbor stopped by for a bit of help. She needed to get her tractor to where she had her cows and hay, and then she needed a ride back to get her pickup. It was a slow trip following her as she drove her tractor to her property, but oh it was nice. Going slow over the country side, back roads and threw the small town streets as she made her way across. I saw parts of the town I have not seen before and enjoyed the scenery of the old barns and homesteads. Its been a while since I have been on such a slow paced drive that allowed me to not only soak it all in but get out of my own head. And being able to do a favor for a neighbor lightens the heart. This time of year tends to slow down as the cold rushes us back in under the protection of our heater. I hope I never grow too old however to enjoy that rush of cold air the moment I step out on the back porch and tell Sadie, "Lets go to work" as the goats yell their good morning. Ok, maybe not good morning, more like "feed us!" Ha. While it can be hard to get motivated some days to crawl out of the warm soft bed and touch the cold cold floor and face the day of uncertainty, taking care of this farm, my home, the animals and my family is what helps me face each day with a gentle eagerness. After church Sunday we were asked if we were missing cows. Why yes, they are next door, again! UGH, we fix one hole only for them to find another!! But we were told, no they are not next door, some how they got out of the neighbors pasture onto a dirt road behind that pasture. Oh Boy !How did they get way out there!!! At least the donkeys didn't get out of the neighbors pasture! THANK GOD for good neighbors who saw the cows and ran them to their place for safe keeping. Elmer and Kenneth went down there to talk to them and they said to leave them for now until after Christmas. They are safe and when it's all settled they will bring them home.
Kenneth and I fixed the new open spot in our fencing they got out from. He said we should take up quilting lol. I asked why? He said we are good at patching fences, making quilts should be easy HA. We got the donkeys home and they didn't get out again so when our neighbor called to tell us they have the cows loaded and ready...we were satisfied they wont get out. They drove up and unloaded them saying how sweet and gentle our cows were. What a relief they are home and safe and hopefully unable to get out again. So far they have not gotten out. When we were gathering the donkeys to move them back home, Sadie spotted a fox!! She went after it and was gone quite a while. We headed back home and figured she will to when she was ready. We were half way back when we spotted Sadie running to catchup with us. She usually stays close by me when Im out there but a fox is way too tempting!! . Kenneth said, Poor baby, you are tired and scooped her up and carried her the rest the way back to the barn LOL. Sadies face was confused LOL. Life on a homestead is never without their challenges. But if we face them with a good attitude then they wont weigh us down. This time of years offers enough down time to plan for spring. So Elmer and I plan. We plan with him in it, because we have to believe he will be. I put on warm socks and pull my hoodie over my head, slip my jacket over that and zip up, grab my gloves. Standing at the french doors out back I can see frost everywhere. Winter is at her front door begging to come out to play. I step in my thick winter rubber boots and meet Sadie at the patio. She's always ready to go to work. Zues gets his zoomies and runs to the other side of the barn to bark at the cat. As Sadie and I step into the goat pen to head to the barn, Samson meets us half way. He and Sadie touch noses and Samson comes to me to be carried the rest of the way. Samson was either carried to our farm via some ones car motor or dumped here. He was found scared and alone in the barn and around. He was skin and bone and had a ton of lost hair patched and skin looked burned, scabby and sore. We did manage to catch him and assess him. He was healing well. some dewormer and food 2 x a day will do the rest. It took several weeks to win him over but now he is a fun part of our ranch. With only two barn cats left, he is welcome to stay.
I head to the barn, crunching the frozen ground. Funny how white everything looks but a deep breath in proved to be warmer than I expected. I grab our buckets and begin scooping feed and alfalfa pellets. Sadie does her normal walk about, checking the whole paddock area, then goes and lays down to watch me. The goats are less than patient and the geese are screaming not to forget them. The Ganders had started getting a bit annoying to the goats, chasing them off from places they were resting. Bored I was told. Not enough lady birds to keep them entertained. So they got moved to reduce stress on the goats. Of course there is no feeding any one until Samson got his breakfast, other wise he was under my feet. Penny and Annie squeal in protest that they are always last to be fed, but are happy now munching away. I break the thin layer of ice on the water buckets and head in. This time of year can be harsh but oh so beautiful. With the trees baring their limbs and the ground covered in thier lost leaves. There always seems to be a peace in the air when its cold. Funny thing is, its going to be 72 degrees today! Texas is slow to settle into any new season. I enjoy a random warm day to catch up things needed to be done. Today, being Sunday, we will just sit and enjoy a bit of planning for whats to come this spring. Our cows and donkeys got out to the neighbors pasture..again. We keep patching the fence and they seem to always find away.It seems to always be something!! Luckly, thinking ahead, we left one panel easy to open to get them home. Today we were able to get the cows in..Donkeys were no where to be seen, but the pasture is quite large with 3 different areas. Tomorrow I will try to get them home. Today, I was so thankful my Son was home early and was able to help me round up the cows. After working outside most the day I was pooped lol.
December 9 2023 Well I got side tracked. Cows were home, then gone again, donkeys came home, then left again So we definitely have a door open somewhere. Life as a homesteader is always full of trials. But for the most part its the peace and quiet, the content of the animals, and the time we can sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee on the back porch and enjoy this life. My husbands cancer is spreading. Not much more the drs can do short of trying some very invasive treatments, ones he will not do. So we are faced with the fact that he ma not see his next Christmas, or next grandchild's birth or see his youngest son graduate from vet school. Or he may do all that and more. As scared as this is, we choose to live. And in doing so..we are working on the chicken coop a little at a time. Ill keep you posted on our progress there . It can be very exciting to see progress even when there is still so much to do. The surveyor came out to portion out some dirt for our daughter and her family to settle on. We are excited to have them out here. When we moved here, all the kids wanted that hill LOL. It isn't a big hill but enough to stand out. Elmer always said he will leave the house to the kids and build a small little cabin for us on that hill. Well First come first serve lol. Maureena got the hill.
Change does not come with out cost and hiccups. Giving up some land can be hard. Not because we need it or will miss it but because it is different. Its change. And Im not good with change. But there comes a time when change is good. And looking out and seeing our daughter and family up on the hill will bring smiles, not sadness. This past week end they all worked hard getting the covert in and leveling the dirt and rock and uprooted several troublesome trees. And in the mist of hard work there was lots of laughter and fun. This past week has been very slow going. Elmer is having a difficult time with bone pain. Not as much is getting done we we hoped but that is ok. We need to be flexible as we can.
We have plans to move the raised garden, putting it closer to the house. A smaller chicken coop is waiting for Elmer to feel well enough to finish, and lots of cleaning to still accomplish. Today we moved the geese after preparing the fencing to be safe and secure for them. Little monsters are pestering the goats, pigs and other birds. A friend suggests they are bored with not enough ladies per male. Now they have a safe place to roam and graze and the Goat pen area is quiet and less stressed lol Pacing ourself, allowing a step back when needed is important. Things will get done if we address something every day. Cancer pain is making it hard for Elmer to do much for long, but his heart is in it and so we keep on keeping on. In the mean time we are looking to re-home the donkeys. Oh it breaks my heart, i love them so much but with the kids building on a large portion of land and with finances being tight, we wont have the graze space or extra money to feed hay all year. A hard reality to homestead life that I wasn't worried about before, and that is having too many animals to feed that are not necessarily feeding us. Making those downsizing decisions are tough but necessary . Growing old Gracefully can mean different things to different people. For some it may mean to embrace the aging process. Keeping yourself fit, healthy and your look up to date. Others may feel it mean to except you're getting old and be happy in spite of it. These are not bad ideas of growing old gracefully. I can see how each of those ideas can be helpful in handling aging. But for me it has another meaning. Like not tripping over the dogs or falling and twisting my ankle in a hole. Farm life offers many opportunities to practice being graceful LOL. I have had my share of farm-happenings that were less than fun. Ive been hit in the head with a pipe gate, hard. leaving a goose egg on my head, and a dent! My eye was black and blue for ever. I have gone head to head with a lambing ewe who wanted no help from me. She tried to jump over me and instead slammed into my head, Another black eye and horrible head ache. I have fallen over a dog gate and broke my shoulder, fell in holes, down stairs and the list goes on. But now that Im older, those type of accidents can mean the difference between me living this life style and me hanging up my overalls. So yes, growing old gracefully can mean excepting the aging process with grace, and it can also mean don't fall in the hole!
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AuthorMy husband and I would go on a country drive any chance we got. Driving the back roads, looking at the farms and dream. My favorite places to see were the old abandoned farm houses. I would take pictures and wonder who built it, who grew up there and what was life like. Owning land, let alone land with a house on it, seemed unreachable. Moving to Texas we could finally realize our dream. We came with 6 kids, adopted 2 more and now we have none. So Our solo farm adventure begins...Cathy Archives
April 2024
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